Seeds may be placed on or in a substrate to facilitate the accurate placement of seeds, such as in research or trial planting applications. The substrate may be a paper-like substance and is commonly referred to as “seed tape” or simply “tape”. Typically, seeds are uniformly spaced-apart on the tape, thus facilitating uniform spacing of plants grown from the seeds. The uniform spacing of the seeds may also reduce the need to thin the plants. The seeds can be attached to the tape by any suitable method, such as adhesive bonding or placement between two layers of the tape. Other substances, such as herbicide or fertilizer, may be disposed on the tape to aid in the growth and development of the seed. The seed tape may be wound into a roll or coil prior to planting.
In operation, the seed tape is planted in the soil by a planter pulled behind a prime mover (e.g., a tractor). After planting of the seed tape, the tape may biodegrade or dissolve so that it does not inhibit the germination of the seeds.
During research operations varieties of seeds may be tested for the presence of certain genetic traits or other genetic information. Previous systems that seek to place specific types or varieties of seeds onto a seed tape are labor intensive, and are thus time-consuming, costly and prone to errors.
This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present disclosure, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.